idek

---

Friday

"Do I even want to know what happened this time" their principal asked, a tired undertone filling her voice. She looked at them with stern eyes, both their gazes diverted to the ground, lips split and bruises starting to form around their eyes.

"Does either of you like to explain?"

Her question was met with a long silence that was only filled with more angry glares. She sighed and sat down.

"I can't keep letting you off with a warning, and I won't either" she continued when it was obvious neither of them were going to answer her question. At this statement Mark lifted his head and looked at her in disbelief.

"No Tuan, I'm not telling your parents" she said, guessing at his thoughts. He could feel Mark's body deflate in a relieved sigh at her words. He rolled his eyes. Poor golden boy, can't have his parents know he got into a fight.

"I am in fact sending you along on a trip, organized by the school especially for troublemakers like you two. See it as a sort of camp" she continued. "It's going to help you connect better and resolve your problems"

He didn't even bother to keep his groan of displeasure hidden. He heard Mark sigh in annoyance.

"But-"

"No if's or but's from you, you either go or get suspended, am I clear?"

They both nodded, glaring at each other murderously.

"Good, I'll send you and your parents the details. You may leave" she said waving them away. As soon as she had said those words he his heels and stalked out of the office, hands buried deep inside his pockets. He slid his tongue across the cut in his lower lip and frowned at the slight pain it caused.

"This is all your fault" he heard someone hiss behind him as he heard the door close. He turned around to meet a dangerously angry looking Mark.

"Yeah" he sneered sarcastically "It's not at all like you started the fight" he retorted, keeping a calm composure. Mark balled his hands into fists.

"You know, if I were you I'd start getting a better grip on those anger outbursts of yours" he said, knowing Mark couldn't do anything because he would certainly get suspended if he did.

"Do you have any idea how many basketball practices this trip is going to cost me" he hissed, voice lowered and fists finally unclenched.

"Oh right, basketball. Thanks for helping me remember that I really don't care" he snapped back. Mark looked furious.

"Just go home Mark, tell your perfect parents about how their lovely son got into a fight and now has to go on a specially organized trip to control his totally out of hand behaviour" he sneered, his tone just as venomous as Mark's.

"You're really messed up, you know that right" Mark said blankly. He stared at him and chuckled humourlessly.

"I'm flattered" he said as turned around. He casually walked out through the school's open front doors. He slowly breathed in the hot summer air as he dug his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Cursing as the cigarette hit the cut on his lip he leaned against the wall to smoke.

They hadn't even fought that badly. He was only left with a cut lip and a small bruise surfacing on his cheek. He tried to remember what it had been they had fought about as he finished his cigarette. It was way too hot to think anyway, the stiffling heat announcing an early summer.

He detested summer.

His lips curled in disgust as he saw Mark and a few friends pass in the distance. Probably talking about how unfair it was he had to go on that stupid trip, or how they couldn't miss their precious golden boy team captain for a week or so. He rolled his eyes at their loud screams.

He dropped the finished cigarette and stepped on it. When he looked up, Mark and his friends were gone. He sighed and made his way towards the end of the school's parking lot, a slick black car waiting for him to get in. He quickly slid in the backseat of the car and shot his school one more look before it dissapeared out of sight.

~

"A fight? You got into another fight" his mother said dissaprovingly "well it's a good thing your school is finally taking action" she continued as her eyes drifted over the letter again.

"I'll make sure all your stuff is ready"

He looked at her without a real expression on his face.

"Don't look at me with that look on your face, you know pretty damn well that you deserve this" she said angrily.

"Have you told Steve yet" he asked, his voice devoid of any tone.

"No I haven't told your father yet"

"Stepfather. And good, let me know when you do, so I can make sure I'm not around" he said coldly.

"Jinyoung come on, I know you don't like him a lot, but we're all trying to make this work, can you at least try too" his mom said sounding tired. If he had really cared maybe he would've, but he couldn't feel sorry anymore, he was done trying.

"Just let me know when I should leave" he said as he got up to leave. He stalked outside and lit another cigarette. He sighed out slightly as he grabbed his bike and quickly left the big townhouse behind him.

~

"A reformation camp for trouble kids" his father exclaimed in disbelief "Mark what is this about"

He looked at his shoes. He had dreaded this moment. Up until now he had been able to cover up all the fights he got into but this, this really couldn't be avoided.

"I-uh" was all he managed to say.

"Does this have consequences on your basketball" his mother asked sounding scared.

"I might miss a few practices, but I can still play" he mumbled the rehearsed words. He had to sound as positive as he could. He heard his dad sigh.

"This must be some sort of misunderstanding, you didn't get into any trouble did you" his dad asked. He looked up at his parents.

"I may have got into one or two fights" he said quietly.

"Fights. Multiple" his mother exclaimed "Mark we didn't raise you like that"

She sounded dissapointed.

He hated it when she sounded dissapointed.

"Well I guess this camp will serve you well, you will have to feel the consequences of your actions yourself. If it means missing basketball and missing out on a scholarship then I'm very sorry son but you'll have to miss out on college as well" his dad said, sounding more sad than disappointed.

"Yes I know" he responded. His mom got up to hug him.

"It's okay Mark, we all make mistakes, you just have to know there is no way for us to pay for college" she said sadly.

"I know, I know, I'm very sorry, it won't happen again" he muttered.

"We know" his father said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Go upstairs, pack your bag" his mother said, hiding her tears from him. He nodded and dashed upstairs to leave his parents alone to talk about it. He had done enough damage already.

~

He was sitting outside on the edge of his balcony late at night. He sighed as he looked at the two letters engraved on the inside of his wrist in shiny black ink.

His father would have disapproved.

If his father had still been here it probably had never even got this far.

Even though it didn't always seem like it, he did love his mother. He had just always had a better connection with his father.

He looked away from the letters on his arm and quietly apologised to the night sky before going back inside.

~

Sunday

He arrived at the camp destination perfectly on time. He hadn't allowed his parents to drive him there, even if hey had insisted they would. He couldn't bare to make them take him there as well.

He sighed. They had always provided the best they could for him, and this one thing they couldn't provide for him, this one very important thing, he had messed up.

He got out of his car and slammed the door shut. He was just hauling his bag out of his trunk when someone appeared next to his car.

"Excuse me, are you Mark, Mark Tuan" the boy asked cheerfully.

"Yeah" he said as he closed his trunk.

"Hi, I'm Youngjae, I'll be one of your supervisors throughout this week" he said sticking out his hand. He lightly shook it as he took in the cheerfulness of the kid. He couldn't possibly be older than him.

"I may look younger than you, that's because I am, but I know very well what I'm doing. We just have to wait for your partner to arrive and then I'll explain more about the upcoming week" he said guessing at his thoughts.

"Partner" he asked.

"Yes. This is a bonding week, I hope you knew that. You two are going to become as close as best friends" he exclaimed happily. He sighed deeply at the thought of what Jinyoung would do to this kid when he saw that smile.

"Great" he said blankly.

Suddenly a cloud of sand burst up next to them. Youngjae immediately started coughing and he quickly shielded his eyes with his hands, blinking heavily. He was barely able to find the source of the mini sandstorm.

Speaking of the devil.

~

He jumped off his bike, readjusting the bag on his back. He could see the kid he had just passed say something to golden boy and Mark slowly nodding. They started to make their way towards him. He sighed as he dug a cigarette from his pocket. This was going to be a long week.

"You must be Park Jinyoung" the kid said happily. He almost groaned at the excited tone in his voice. He noticed golden boy inching closer to the kid while shooting him a warning glance. The kid coughed awkwardly when all they did was stare at each other maliciously.

"I'm Youngjae, one of your supervisors for the week" he continued, trying to break the tension. He brought his cigarette to his mouth once more.

"I'm afraid those aren't allowed around here" Younjae said, snatching the cigarette from his hand and dropping it. He looked at him in disbelief, his expression if possible, darkening even more. Golden boy shuffled even closer to Youngjae.

"We have a few rules around here I have to make you familiar with before I show you to your room" he continued as if nothing had happened.

"First, no smoking, no drinking, no use of drugs. No violence or violent langue, therefore no swearing. You are not allowed to refuse any of the activities or leave the camp early, if you do, punishment will follow.
There will be no disrespecting supervisors or other campers. You are to hand in the keys to your vehicles right now. You are not allowed to travel around the grounds alone at night. You are expected to be on time for activities and meals. And lastly, we will report your progress back to your principal."

Youngjae held up his hand looking at them expectantly. Jinyoung chuckled. He was not giving him the keys to his bike. It had belonged to his father. Mark slowly dug his keys from his pocket and handed them to Youngjae.

"Oh, I forgot. As this is a bonding camp, any individual action may result in consequences for the both of you" Youngjae said with a grin. This statement resulted in Mark glaring at him as if to kill him with his stare.

He sighed and reluctantly dropped his keys in Youngjae's hand. He immediately closed it and smiled up at them.

"We will take good care of them, I will show you to your dorm now, follow me please"

Youngjae turned around and started walking. He managed to still throw an angry glare at Mark and slowly followed him.

This was going to be a long week.

~

They entered a big wooden cabin at the edge of a series of similar cabins.

"This will be yours" Youngjae mused as he opened the door and handed both of them a key.

He entered first as Jinyoung was still staring at their surroundings.

The inside was simple. Two beds, two bedside tables, two dressers, everything mirrored to the other side of the room and one door that probably led to a bathroom. The furniture seemed to be made of the same wood as the cabin itself. All in all it was not bad. Quite cosy probably, if he were to share it with anyone else.

He finally heard Jinyoung stumble inside and vaguely heard Youngjae say something about dinner and evening activities. He also heard Jinyoung groan as he took in the interior of the room.

"What? Not good enough for mister rich and wealthy" he sneered as he sat down on one of the beds.

"You do know those words mean the exact same right" Jinyoung retorted. He saw him scanning the ceiling and followed his glance. Along the ceiling ran a railing of some sort, dividing the room in two. Both their glances hit the thick black curtain on one end of the room at the same time.

He almost asked why they would do such a thing when he realised who he was with. Jinyoung strode towards the curtain and closed it with one clean movement.

"And what if I need to use the bathroom" he yelled, realising the door to the bathroom was on Jinyoung's side of the room.

"Go outside" Jinyoung's cold voice sounded back.

He sighed and dropped down on his bed, noticing the mattress was softer than what he was used to. He stared at the ceiling thinking about his parents. He just hoped they weren't worried. They shouldn't be. After all, he had screwed things up himself.

And to think it was only Sunday.

~

A soft knock came on their door at around what Jinyoung thought to be dinner time. He stayed in the position he had been in for the last hour, waiting for Mark to open the door. He looked up from his book as Mark didn't seem to be moving either. Maybe he had fallen asleep. Poor golden boy must have been tired from the long drive.

There was another knock.

He heard Mark sigh loudly from the other side of the room and shuffle to the door.

"Yes" he heard Mark say.

"I'm supposed to come and get you for dinner. My name's Jaebum, nice to meet you" an unfamiliar voice sounded.

He heard Mark softly introduce himself to the new boy.

"So, where's your partner" he heard Jaebum ask. It stayed silent for a while. He peared over the edge of his book to find Mark standing in front of him.

"You were reading" Mark said in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's a book on voodoo, wanna borrow it" he said innocently. Mark rolled his eyes.

"You heard him" he said, pointing towards the door, where Jaebum was still waiting.

"No, I didn't seem to catch what he said" he continued innocently.

"Oh forget it" Mark sighed as he returned to the door.

"He's not hungry" he heard him say.

"He's also not allowed to skip any of the activities, which includes meals" he heard Jaebum counter. He sighed softly and dragged himself off his bed, dropping the book on top of it and made his way towards the door.

"Ah, you must be Jinyoung, I'm Jaebum" a tall dark haired guy said, holding up his hand. At least he wasn't the happy-go-lucky type as well. He reluctantly shook his hand and stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

"I don't have a key" Mark said slightly annoyed.

"Well I have mine, we're not allowed to travel alone at night anyway… Partner" he added sarcastically.

"Alright" Jaebum said "just follow me"

Mark glared at him once more and followed Jaebum quickly. He sighed and followed, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his leather jacket.

~

He poked his food lifelessly. Next to him Mark was chatting about sports with this guy named Jackson. He had joined them about halfway through diner and just started chatting away. He hadn't stopped since then. Mark seemed to like him. He did less so.

He was about to sneer at Jackson that he really had already heard enough of his life story, when one of the supervisors called out at them to be quiet. He started a whole speech to welcome them, which he stopped listening to once he had said 'welcome everyone'.

He was staring aimlessly at a bug crawling across the table when he heard the words 'introduction' and 'campfire'. Great, he was going to be stuck out here even longer. Besides that, he was now also dependent on Mark. If Mark didn't want to leave he was going to have to stay as well, whether he liked it or not.

People around him started getting up and suddenly he heard a high pitched shriek that could've very well belonged to a girl. Apparently Jackson had spotted the bug crawling across the table and jumped five feet high while shrieking like a two-year-old. Immediately both Jackson and Mark burst into laughter.

He was going to be stuck here for a while.

~

"My name's Bambam, I was sent here for the pranks I pulled at school" a skinny, younger looking kid said.

"Same goes for me, I'm here with him, the name's Yugyeom" the boy next to him said. They didn't even look close in age. He sighed as they moved on to the next person, and the next.

"I am Mark" he heard Mark say next to him. It stayed silent for a while.

He looked up, realising everyone was looking at him.

"Jinyoung" he said, hoping they'd just move on.

"Want to tell us who you're here with" one of the supervisors asked. He realised he recognised the voice. It had been Youngjae, who already very damn well knew who he was here with.

"Not particularly" he deadpanned.

"Alright, Jinyoung is here with Mark, they're working on their relationship" Youngjae said happily. He groaned internally at the everlasting happiness the kid seemed to possess. He was starting to want to leave even more by the minute.

He stared into the flames as some people held marshmallows above it and chatted with each other casually. It all felt so wrong to him, everyone being happy, acting like they were on some sort of dumb camping trip. He had never enjoyed camping. Well, maybe with his father, but he didn't allow himself to associate his current situation with some of the only memories he had left of his dad.

He sighed as his ears filtered out Jackson's loud voice. Apparently he was talking about the things he did back at his own school. How he was in the fencing team.

He groaned and closed his eyes. He heard Mark chuckle slightly. He realised he had never really heard Mark chuckle before. He hated his laugh already.

~
Monday

He woke up from the sound of Mark shuffling around their little cabin. He blinked twice and checked his phone. It was an hour before breakfast, he had no idea why golden boy would be up yet. He noticed him quietly shuffle past his bed and into the bathroom.

He was avoiding him.
Made sense.

He sighed and closed his eyes again. About half an hour later he heard the door to the cabin open and close again and he dragged himself out of bed.

When he finally got outside, Mark was sitting on the little steps in front of the cabin.

"Finally" he said as he got up and dusted his pants "you're going to make us late"

"Why were you even waiting for me" he asked amused.

"We're not allowed to travel alone remember" Mark said annoyed.

"At night yeah" he said even more amused.

He started walking, leaving an annoyed Mark behind.

~

He slowly sipped his coffee, starting to get more annoyed with Jinyoung by the minute. Next to him Jinyoung still wasn't eating anything, he was just sipping his coffee.

"You know starving yourself won't get you out of here faster right"

Jinyoung just glared at him and continued on his coffee.

He saw Youngjae happily stalking towards them and quickly finished his own coffee. He still didn't trust Jinyoung around the kid.

"Good morning" he mused.

"Hi Youngjae" he said politely. Jinyoung kept quiet, staring at Youngjae like a predator looks at its pray.

"Hey" Youngjae replied cheerfully.

"So about your schedule for today" Youngjae started. He could almost hear Jinyoung roll his eyes.

"First you'll go to our camp counsellor, you know, to talk about things, and this afternoon you'll have bonding activities"

"Counselling" Jinyoung asked.

"Yes, yes of course" Youngjae said absentmindedly "but that will be all for today, as it's your first day and all. Counselling is just fundamental for this experience" he finished. He got up again.

"I'll see you this afternoon" he said and walked away.

He heard Jinyoung groan and he chuckled a little. Jinyoung's discomfort was really just entertaining to him.

"What are you laughing at" Jinyoung snapped.

"Nothing" he said with another little chuckle.

~

"So gentlemen, what seems to bring you here today" the middle-aged woman asked. She was sitting in front of them with her legs crossed. She looked professional but he doubted if she really was. She had fit the two of them on a small sofa, both of them sitting as far apart as the little seat would allow them.

He almost sighed. He was sure she knew exactly why they were there.

"We are here because someone can't keep his hands off of me" Mark suddenly said, sounding really pissed.

"You started the fight" he countered blankly.

"Oh yeah, I started one fight, how about all the others you initiated, huh, what about the scratch that is still on my car" Mark snapped back.

"If it bothers you so much just get it fixed"

"Not everyone is as fortunate as you Jinyoung" he spat his name.

"Alright, so you guys obviously don't like each other" the counsellor interrupted.

"Oh really" he said sarcastically.

"Look, Jinyoung isn't it, this place is one for peace, one where you can say whatever you want, whatever bothers you. It is a peaceful environment for us to come closer together" she started airily.

"Oh save me the bull" he said.

"A place where we don't swear" she said sharply "is there anything you'd like to share" she continued.

He chuckled humourlessly. The counsellor kept looking at him expectantly. Mark had already buried his face in his hands out of annoyance.

"No, there's nothing I'd like to share thanks"

"Alright, then let's continue, the root of the problem seems to be the first time you two fell out. What did you say about a scratch on a car"

~

"Would you care to help me" Mark asked. He glared at him. Mark just shook his head and continued on the stupid wooden bird house they had to build together.

He felt dull. He was going on coffee alone and could really use a cigarette right now. He only vaguely noticed Jaebum approaching them.

"Hey Mark, could I just borrow Jinyoung from you for a moment" Jaebum asked casually.

"Please take him" Mark sighed out. He smiled a little at Mark's reaction.

"Jinyoung" Jaebum motioned for him to follow.

"So, how are you" Jaebum asked.

"I'm fine" he said, pushing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He had ditched his jacket because it was really getting too hot.

"I heard from Youngjae that you weren't eating" Jaebum continued.

"So he sent you to check on me" he said indignant.

"Look, you are our responsibility, we make sure nothing happens to you so your parents don't sue the camp. And let me tell you, that's a pretty damn hard job with people like you around constantly"

"Then quit" he said blankly "it's normal for me to not eat much, satisfied now"

"No. I'm going to keep tabs on you, see how much you eat, how you behave" Jaebum persisted.

"What is this, rehab" he snapped.

"In a way. I know you don't like it and believe me, neither do most people here, but you got yourself into this and dragged Mark with you, because we both know he really doesn't deserve any of this"

"And why would I care about any of that" he asked coldly.

"I know you do" Jaebum said and gave him a pat on the shoulder. He swatted at his hand as Jaebum walked away to check on other pairs.

He groaned and rubbed his face with his hands. He looked at Mark. He hated to admit it but Jaebum was right, in the end Mark was the only one really facing the consequences. He was the one acting out his rage on him.

~

Tuesday

"So Jinyoung, would you tell me something about your current family situation" she asked calmly.

He stayed silent. It wasn't like he was just going to tell her all about his life, even if this was a separate session. Mark was with the woman from yesterday so they had put him with someone else. A younger person this time.

"Touchy subject" she asked as he obviously wasn't answering. She stared at him intensely.

"I live with my mom and step dad" he finally answered.

"What about your biological father" she asked curiously as she wrote something down.

"He died"

"Oh, I'm so sorry" she said, her voice and eyes filled with sadness.

"Did you have a good bond with your dad"

All he managed was to do was nod as he stared outside.

"How about your step dad"

"Not so much" he answered honestly. He didn't know why he was talking so easily, but talking about his dad seemed to have hit a nerve.

"When did he pass, your father"

"Look, I don't want to talk about this, can we just talk about something else. Anything" he pleaded.

She nodded understandingly.

~

"How about at home, tell me about your family" she asked.

He smiled slightly.

"They're lovely, I have both my mom and dad supporting me. We don't have much, but they make everything work the best they can" he said fondly.

His face fell a little.

"Even though they're a little old fashioned, they just don't understand things sometimes. And well, I've got everything riding on my basketball" he admitted.

"How about basketball"

"It's my only chance of getting into college" he stated.

"But is it what you love" she asked.

"Yes" he answered immediately "I mean I guess it is"

~

He wasn't able to do anything else than stare at the water intensly. Everything around him had faded to a blur. All he could see was the enormous lake in front of him. He hadn't even thought about this.

Bonding water activities.

He folded his arms around himself as he kept staring at the water. Images flashed in front of his eyes. He felt the panick slowly filling his head. All he could see was green, all he could feel was pressure on his lungs, all he could hear was the cold strange silence pounding through his head. His head pounded with the images as his breath sped up. He felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Hey, Jinyoung" Mark waved his hand in front of his face. He snapped his eyes away from the lake and looked at him.

For a moment Mark looked like he'd ask if he was okay. But he didn't.

"We have to get in" he said slowly.

The panick slowly faded to a dull pounding in the back of his head as the images fainted slightly. He fixated his stare on Mark.

"I'm not going" he said calmly. Mark sighed.

"Really Jinyoung"

He looked back at the lake.

"Do you have to be this difficult" he asked annoyed.

The pounding became worse. He looked at the initials on his wrist. The ink seemed to swim across his arm. He heard his father's voice yell at him.

"You know I really hoped that maybe you'd just behave and we could just get out of here" Mark continued a little snappier.

"Could you just shut it" he snapped back as he rubbed his arms.

"What's up with you" Mark asked.

"I'm not going in" he repeated as he turned around to walk back. He sat down on a bench by the lake, not being able to keep his eyes off of it. There were no images dancing in front of his eyes anymore and he was trying really hard to keep them out.

He could still hear his father's voice ringing in his ears.

He didn't notice Mark sitting next to him.

"Would you tell me why you're refusing to get in the damn water" he asked agitated.

"And why would I do that" he snapped, not being able to do anything else as the pounding wasn't fading. His breath was still faster than usual and he couldn't help but feel cold. He rubbed his arms again in a faint attempt to rub off the feeling of water pressing down on them.

The pressure was filling his head.

"Jinyoung" Mark said.

"What" he snapped.

"Woah, chill" Mark said "what's up with that tattoo anyway, why do you keep rubbing it. And would you stop that"

"I'm leaving" he got up and turned away.

"No you're not" he faintly heard Mark say as he let his anxiety take over and lead him back to their cabin.

He crashed on the bed and barely repressed the urge to scream out loud. Before he knew it he passed out.

~

"What happened"

"I don't know, he's been in there since this afternoon"

He heard muffled voices coming from outside. His head ached and he felt exhausted.

"You have to get him for diner"

"I don't think he'll come"

"Can you try"

He heard a sigh and rambling of the door.

"Believe me, I tried"

More rustling. He quickly wiped the sleep from his face and sat up.

"I have a spare key"

He heard the lock click open and soon the door followed with a loud bang. He flinched a little at the sound.

"Mark wait, I'll go"

He now recognized the second voice. He heard him coming inside and soon came eye to eye with a calm looking Jaebum.

"Jinyoung"

"Jaebum"

They stared at each other.

"You know I'm keeping an eye on you"

He kept staring back.

"Get to dinner, now" he said, pointing at the door. He could hear Mark huff in disbelief as he dragged himself off of his bed and outside.

"Hello to you too" he said as charmingly as he could.

"I swear to God Jinyoung if this messes up the only chance I have of getting out of here in time I will not hesitate to kill you" he said angrily.

He just avoided his glance and followed Jaebum.

~

He looked at Jinyoung sitting on the steps in front of the cabin. He had got up about an hour ago and had sat there ever since. The thing was it was around the middle of the night.

He had no idea what he had witnessed today. He had gone all pale. He had been snappier than usual, and that meant something. He had constantly been rubbing his arms. And the refusal, the simple refusal of going into the water had been so strong. He had been determined.

He didn't know whether to feel bad or wonder if it was just him trying to get out of the stupid activity. He sighed and walked up to him, casually taking a seat next to him.

"Can't sleep?"

No answer.

He noticed Jinyoung was still tracing the letters on his arm.

"What does your tattoo stand for, one of your ex girlfriends" he asked bluntly.

"They're my dad's initials"

"He passed last year"

He stayed silent. He hadn't expected that response.

He honestly hadn't expected a response at all.

"I'm sorry for your loss" he said softly
"About a year ago you say"

"I don't need to talk to you about this" Jinyoung said, but he missed his usual snappy tone.

"No, but you should talk to someone at least" he reasoned "your behaviour changed drastically about a year ago"

Jinyoung got up abnormally quick.

"Stay out of my business" he said coldly and walked away. He sighed, Jinyoung walked off way too often. He decided to let it go and went back inside.

He was still somewhat glad to see him again at breakfast the next morning.

~

Wednesday

"So, how is your relationship at school"

They were cramped on the little sofa again. He was exhausted. He had barely been able to sleep and the conversation he had with Mark hadn't really helped his cause.

He felt Mark look at him slightly and then sigh a little. He noticed that Mark sighed often.

"Great" he said, sounding awfully sarcastic.

He was slightly surprised. Mark was rarely sarcastic or impolite.

"Yeah, great" he repeated mockingly. Mark shifted in his seat next to him. He looked increasingly more uncomfortable.

"There's obviously a lot of tension between you two. What do you think triggered that" she asked.

Mark shifted again.

"There's really not one simple reason"

"No not at all, it's not like you're just a complete moron" he said with a chuckle.

"Jinyoung this is not funny, I want you to be honest and take these sessions serious" she said sternly.

"Yeah yeah, whatever"

~

"No activities? Great, I'm going back to the cabin" Mark said and he quickly strode away.

He followed him with his eyes, an amused smile playing on his face. For a second the breakdown he had had yesterday faded from his mind.

"Jinyoung, could we talk" Jaebum said behind him.

He turned around and folded his arms.

"I've been thinking about what happened yesterday so I checked in with your counsellor. After some research I found out what happened to your dad. And to you" he said.

He tightened his arms in front of his chest.

"So" he asked calmly.

"Have you ever talked to someone about it" he asked.

"Does it look like I did" he answered blankly.

Jaebum gave him the very familiar look of pity.

"I'll go now" he said and slowly walked back to the cabin.

~

When he entered the cabin he found Mark pacing up and down in the small room. He threw him a strange look and passed by him. He dropped on his bed and got comfortable. Mark kept pacing.

"What's up with you, why are you so tense today" he asked amused.

Mark gave him a strange look.

"Like you don't know. I've been on edge for weeks, just waiting for you to tell everyone" he said quietly.

His mind raced to the memory of Mark talking to the school counsellor about his uality. He had accidentally overheard and Mark had seen him. He knew Mark's parents could be quite old fashioned and weren't people that would easily accept their son being different.

It wasn't important why he himself had been at the counsellors office.

"You're still on about that"

"Everything would be ruined if anyone ever found out. Do you think the team wants a captain like me. Do you think universities want players like me. And you really don't seem like the person to keep his mouth shut to save my " he burst out.

His face fell slightly. He had actually never thought about that.

But he would never out Mark. He understood his situation. Not that he would admit that.

"I would never"

"It's not like I'd ever believe that" he snapped.

His words stung.

"Fine" he said "fine. Hate me all you want, just know that I'd never out you" he said calmly. He hadn't noticed that he'd got up from his bed but quickly walked outside.

It was probably best to leave him alone.

~

"Hey, Jaebum" he said quietly. Jaebum looked away from the campfire.

"Yeah"

"Can I talk to you" he asked.

"Yeah sure" he said and got up. They walked away from the campfire.

"It's about Jinyoung isn't it" Jaebum guessed. He nodded.

"Do you know what happened to him. I mean, after yesterday I'm just lost when it comes to him" he asked. Jaebum motioned for him to sit down.

"Jinyoung and his dad were in a car accident about a jear ago. They were hit by a truck. Drove straight into the water. The driver managed to get Jinyoung out but it was too late for his dad and he drowned. They only recovered his body a few days after the incident. Jinyoung only barely survived" Jaebum said seriously.

He breathed in deeply. He'd never known.

"How did you know"

"After yesterday I went to talk with your counsellor to see if Jinyoung showed behaviour that might signal to anxiety or a fear of water. I've seen it before. She told me the only thing she'd got out of him was that his father had died and that they had been really close. So I did my research and found out about the accident" Jaebum slowly explained.

"I didn't even know his father had died. He was new at school last year, one of the rich kids. His mom must have married a rich man" he rambled. He sighed.

"It doesn't justify his behaviour Mark. Don't beat yourself up" Jaebum reassured him.

"I know, I know. But it does explain" he said as he rested his head in his hands. He couldn't imagine what Jinyoung had gone through.

"Do you feel like the two of you are getting better"

"After yesterday" he said with a huff. Then he thought about what had happened this afternoon.

"Things are really complicated you know. I honestly don't even know why we fight so much" he admitted.

"Have you ever thought that maybe Jinyoung is jealous" Jaebum asked.

"Jealous?"

"Of your family, your popularity, your happiness"

"But he has enough money to go to college, to provide for himself. And nobody ever said I was so happy with my current situation. And on top of that, if he didn't act like a jerk all the time I'm sure he'd be a great friend" he said agitated.

"Why do you think he acts like that?"

His mind was racing.

"You really have to learn to understand each other better. Both of you"

He nodded absentmindedly.

"But if I try to talk to him he just blocks me out. It's not like he's trying either" he reasoned.

"That's true" Jaebum admitted "I'll see what I can do"

~

It was late at night. Jinyoung had made his way outside again. He slowly joined him on the steps. They didn't say anything for a while but Jinyoung didn't send him away either. They sat in silence for a while.

"You know, I don't know if I should apologise to you" he finally said.

Jinyoung looked at him. He looked tired, not angry or annoyed or simply devoid of any emotion, like he usually did. He turned his head back.

"No you shouldn't" he said calmly.

"I heard about what happened to you and your dad"

"I guess it's only fair"

"I'm sorry"

"I told you you shouldn't apologise" Jinyoung said with a sigh "I should"

Suddenly he heard a rumble go through the sky. He hadn't noticed the dark clouds forming before. A thunderbolt flashed above their heads.

They exchanged a quick look before it started raining.

He was the first to make it inside but somehow he was still soaked. He glanced outside to see it was raining like there was no tomorrow.

Jinyoung soon joined him inside. Very suddenly he started laughing. And he kept laughing. He couldn't help but laugh along slightly. He had never heard Jinyoung laugh before.

He quite liked it.

He felt like Jinyoung hadn't laughed in a while. Something was really bothering him, and he knew what it was like to walk around with something like that. It constantly felt like it was written on your forehead in big black letters.

It .

~

He was lying on his bed reading when Mark approached him. It had took them some time to dry up.

"I got a message" he said waving a small wet looking paper. He raised his eyebrows slightly.

"There's a huge storm going on, it's not supposed to stop until tomorrow so all activities are cancelled" he explained. He nodded.

But Mark wasn't leaving.

"Do you actually like to read" he asked curiously.

He hesitated slightly, then smiled a little.

"Yes" he stated.

Things had cleared up slightly. Between them at least, outside it was still a mess.

"Do you actually like basketball" he asked in return. Mark looked slightly taken aback by the fact that he was asking him a question in return.

"Uh yeah" he said hesitantly. Mark came a little closer.

"Can I sit" he asked, pointing at the bed. He hesitated but then nodded. Mark dropped himself on the bed and sat with his back against the wall. He sighed out deeply.

"You do sigh a lot" he noted. Mark chuckled humourlessly.

"Of course I like basketball, but it feels more like a job now. I'll never get into college if I don't get a basketball scholarship" he said.

"Do your parents know"

He chuckled humourlessly again.

"My parents" he started. Then sighed "why would I talk with you about this"

"Because I'm the best you've got"

Mark smiled a little. Mark actually looked really good when he smiled.

"I just don't want to disappoint them" he admitted.

"I don't think you ever could"

Mark looked at him weirdly.

"I'm sorry for everything I've done" he said simply.

"And I'm sorry for judging you based on how much money you seem to have"

"Well I am an "

"You were" Mark stated with a chuckle. He slowly got up from the bed.

"You should sleep"

~
Thursday

"So then my teacher told me 'Jackson you can't crawl under your table to avoid class"

They had taken diner around the campfire. Everything was still wet from the storm that had gone on for the entire day. Somehow they had managed to light the campfire anyway.

"Hey Jinyoung"

He turned around to see Jaebum standing behind him. He motioned behind him and he got up to walk with him. Mark shot him a glance but quickly returned his attention to Jackson's story.

"Before you say anything, I think I owe you an apology" he started. He stuffed his hands into his leather jacket.

Jaebum smiled slightly.

"I think you owe Mark one"

"I already apologised okay"

Jaebum chuckled.

"Here" he said handing him a little paper "contact me any time"

"Do you do this with all the campers" he asked cheekily as he looked at the phone number.

"You're the first"

~

Friday

He entered the cabin to find Mark already packing his stuff. He looked frustrated and was handling his stuff abnormally rough.

"What's up with you, you look even worse than usual" he joked.

"They're scouting at my next match" Mark answered sulkily without even looking at him.

"So? You can play right" he asked.

"Yeah"

"So, what's the problem"

Mark dropped himself on his bed with a sigh.

"My car broke down. It's quite old and sensitive so the bad weather messed with it or something. Either way, it means I can't get there. I'm done for" he said with his head in his hands.

He sighed and looked away from Mark.

"I could.... take you there" he suggested hesitantly. It wasn't like they suddenly were best friends now that the air had cleared.

"Your bike still works after that storm" Mark asked in disbelief.

He chuckled slightly.

"I put it inside"

"You did what" Mark asked "how? When?"

"I stole the keys and put it inside the first night" he said mischievously.

Mark laughed a little.

"Of course you did" he said while shaking his head.

"So?"

"If you're not planning on killing us, then sure"

He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

~

Saturday

"Do I just get on"

"Yes Mark, stop being so awfully difficult"

He climbed onto the bike clumsily.

"Hold on"

He lightly put his hands on his shoulders.

"Look, if you don't want actually to die, you hold on" he said with a chuckle. He heard Mark sigh behind him.

"Alright alright" Mark said as he wrapped his arms around his waist.

He breathed in deeply as he was getting used to the feeling of Mark's arms around him. It felt, in a good way, really strange.

He kick-started the bike and they drove off.

~

He admitted he had watched. He hadn't been able to stop himself. After he had dropped Mark off he sneaked inside and watched he first half of the match. He understood why everyone thought Mark was such a great player. He really was.

~

"Thank you so much" he said with a huge smile as he shook the man's hand.

"We'll talk again soon" he said.

He quickly left through the door and breathed in deeply.

He'd been scouted. Actually. He smiled broadly.

He stalled outside casually not being able to keep the smile off his face.

"You look happy" an awfully familiar voice said. His eyes found Jinyoung leaning against his bike casually, his arms crossed. His breath hitched a little. Jinyoung kinda looked really good.

"What are you still doing here" he asked surprised.

"I figured if I was your ride here I'd probably be your only ride home" he stated.

"I could have asked a teammate to take me home" he countered.

"Where are your parents"

"Work"

"Now will you tell me why you're so happy" Jinyoung changed the subject. His smile came back a little. Jinyoung gave him a weird look.

"Guess who got scouted" he said happily. He looked as though he was about to fly into his arms.

"Really"

"Uhu"

"Mark that's great" Jinyoung said as he smiled slightly too. He still had that weird look in his eyes though. He only now noticed how Jinyoung looked really cute when he smiled, something he wasn't used to seeing from him.

"So do you still need that ride home" he asked casually. He looked around. The parkinglot was completely deserted.

"How long did you wait for me" he asked.

"Do you want the ride or not"

"Yes, yes of course" he said and hopped on the bike. He saw Jinyoung shake his head slightly and get on the bike as well.

~

He rang the doorbell suddenly feeling nervous. He hadn't seen his parents the entire week and he wasn't even sure if they were home now. Jinyoung was waiting by his bike behind him. He felt somewhat ashamed of bringing him here.

Suddenly the door opened.

"Mark" his mother managed to say before he was engulfed in a hug.

"Hi mom" he muttered. She didn't let him go for a while.

"How are you, how was your match, did everything go well? You didn't get into more trouble did you? Oh- who's that" she finally asked as she spotted Jinyoung who, for some reason, was still waiting.

"A friend" he managed to say as his mother waved at Jinyoung to come closer. Jinyoung looked at him uncertain and he nodded slightly. You didn't keep his mom waiting.

"Hi" Jinyoung said awkwardly.

"Mark" his mom scolded.

"Right, mom Jinyoung, Jinyoung mom" he introduced them.

"Nice to meet you Jinyoung, it was you who brought Mark home I see. You should come in for diner you must both be tired" his mom said politely. He looked at Jinyoung, unsure of what he might say.

"Oh no thank you, I wouldn't want to bother you" Jinyoung said politely.

"Of course you're not bothering" his mom said as she pulled him inside.

~

"So you really were the one Mark was constantly fighting with" Mark's father asked in disbelief.

"I'm afraid so sir" he said quietly. He felt immensely uncomfortable. Mark's parents were so… nice. They'd taken him in, learned about what happened and still treated him with respect. It was certainly not something he was used to.

"Well you must have resolved it well" Mark's mom said as she cleaned up the table. He had offered to help but she had turned him down repeatedly.

"Why don't you two go upstairs" Mark's mom suggested "We'll take care of the dishes". Mark threw him a glance and he nodded slowly.

"You did clean up did you"

"Yes mom" Mark said as he got up from the table.

"Good" they still heard her say.

When they entered the room Mark crashed face first into his bed. He looked around the room. It was small and decorated all over with posters.

He felt bad. He slowly started pacing. He couldn't make himself stop walking. After a while Mark turned back and noticed.

"What's up with you" he asked as he sat up. He rubbed his face with his hands.

"Your parents… they're just so nice" he managed to say. Mark got up and came to stand in front of him. He put his hands on his shoulders to stop him from pacing.

He only looked at him. He looked at him so intensly that he couldn't look away.

"What makes you think for even a second that you don't deserve that kindness"

"Who says that that's what I was thinking" he countered.

"I'm not stupid Jinyoung" he couldn't help but like the way Mark said his name. He sighed and looked away. He hated it that it didn't feel wrong to stand so close to mark.

He looked at his feet as Mark's hands left his shoulders. Mark was still looking at him intensely. He set his face and looked up again.

"Thanks" he said blankly. Mark backed away slightly when he saw his expression.

"You really don't believe me do you"

He looked sad almost. Suddenly he started slowly inching closer. And closer. He resisted taking a step back. But Mark was still coming closer.

What the hell was he doing.

Their faces were not far apart anymore. And Mark didn't stop coming closer.

He finally took a step back.

"I should go home" he said slowly.

Mark looked confused.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and left the room quickly.

"You're leaving already" Mark's mom asked him.

"I'm afraid so, my parents expect me back home. Thank you for diner" he lied politely.

"I hope to see you again soon"

He nodded and quickly slipped out the door. He breathed in deeply and looked back at the small house.

Without any thought he hopped on his bike and drove away.

~

He was met with quiet when he arrived home. No one seemed to be there. He finally let out a frustrated groan.

He was a mess.

He felt like throwing stuff, he felt like kicking and screaming. And at the same time he felt too drained to do anything. He couldn't seem to see straight.

What had he got himself into.

He went back outside and hopped on his bike again.

~

He dropped himself heavily, crossed his legs and sighed.

It had been a while.

"Hi dad" he muttered quietly.

He sat in silence. More often than not he didn't even speak. It felt weird for him to talk to a grave.

He rested his face in his hands.

"I miss you" he said, voice quivering.

"A lot"

~

Two weeks.

It had been two weeks.

He got his car fixed. Everyone was happy to see him back. They hadn't spoken.

It was fine. He had been watching him.

Not that that made anything any better.

He was currently leaning against the railing of his balcony, still hinking about everything that had happened. He hadn't really been able to do anythig else.

"Sir, there's someone here to see you" someone said behind him.

He turned around to see one of their butlers standing in the door. He could see the slim figure of Mark lingering behind him. He looked uncomfortable.

He nodded and the butler moved to let Mark through.

He stayed behind him.

"Hey"

He turned his head.

"Why did you come here? How do you even know where I live" he asked coldly.

Mark came to stand next to him and placed his hands on the railing. He stared off into the distance.

"Look, I just wanted to apologize for what happened last time, I shouldn't have assumed-"

"Its fine" he interrupted him.

"No it's not. We were fine, we could've become friends. But then I go and do something stupid" Mark sighed out. He turned towards him.

"I said it's fine"

"I mean, technically we don't even really know each other so-"

"Mark"

"And you're the only one that knows, and I don't even know if you're into me like that-"

"Mark I said it's fine" he snapped.

Mark looked down and sighed. He scratched his neck.

"Sorry. I just kinda like you a lot" he confessed.

"Then you could understand that I just can't get into a relationship right now" he issued.

Mark looked up, a surprised look on his face.

"You'd want to" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, maybe"

"Alright, then we'll take it slow" Mark offered hopefully. He put out his hand for Jinyoung to shake.

"Friends?"

"Friends" he answered as he shook his hand.

Suddenly Mark pulled him into a tight hug.

He reluctantly hugged him back.

He smiled a little.

He could get used to this.

---